With the Beijing Central Axis joining the World Heritage List, I want to focus on what is newly inscribed. Therefore, in this review I will not include any information about the Old Beijing City Section of Tonghui Canal, the Forbidden City, or the Temple of Heaven. Additionally, I will not focus on sites within the boundaries (primarily after 1949) which do not contribute to the OUV. The Imperial Palace boundary is the moat, therefore plenty of buildings associated with or adjacent to the Forbidden City were previously not inscribed.

From North to South

• Bell Tower - 47.9 meters high, includes a 63 metric ton bell called 'King of the Bells' which was cast in the early 1400's
• Drum Tower - 46.7 meters high, originally included 25 drums though all were lost, the building was rebuilt in the year 1800
• Wanning Bridge - oldest bridge of the Beijing Central Axis, 13th Century Yuan Dynasty, a rare Beijing site predating the Ming Dynasty
• Jingshan Hill - tallest point on the axis and a key viewpoint, includes Chinese Garden landscape with 1,000 year old trees
• Altar of Land and Grain - an important part of the 'ideal capital of a Chinese city', the Altar of Land and Grain must be on the LEFT
• Imperial Ancestral Temple - an important part of the 'ideal capital of a Chinese city', the Ancestral Temple Grain must be on the RIGHT
• Upright Gate - part of the entrance to the Forbidden City, used for storage for ritual processions when the Emperor left the Imperial Palace
• Tiananmen Gate - the main front gate of the Imperial City and the location of the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China
• Outer Jinshui Bridges - 5 marble bridges, the center was exclusively used by the Emperor, paralleled by two Huabiao ceremonial columns
• Tiananmen Square Complex - symmetrical large open space aligned to the central axis, dramatically altered since 1949
• Zhengyangmen Gate & Archery Tower - another key viewpoint of the axis, also the start of the Imperial Road
• Altar of the God of Agriculture - Xiannongtan or Temple of Agriculture is symmetrically facing the Temple of Heaven
• Southern Section Road Archeological Sites - road foundations and ancient ditches of the original Imperial Road
• Yongdingmen Gate - a historical reconstruction that marks the Southern terminus of the Beijing Central Axis

Having visited Beijing twice, I covered the axis fairly well and was certainly aware of it having taken a University course on Urban China. The course examined the transformation of Beijing from the end of the dynastic period in 1911 to the End of the Cultural Revolution and the opening of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in 1977. The major text was 'Remaking Beijing: Tiananmen Square and the Creation of a Political Space', which certainly provided insight into the changes and symbolism of the Axis during the 20th century. All of this contributed to my annoyance that China made such an effort to erase the wording by ICOMOS that clearly stated the Tiananmen Square Complex did not contribute to the sites OUV. 

The Bell Tower is perhaps the most impressive single structure on the Beijing Central Axis not previously inscribed. The Bell Tower you see today is mostly from a rebuilding effort that took place during the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1745). The height of the structure, the massive bell, and the inevitable stairs remain memorable for me.

As you exit the Forbidden City from the North you are welcomed by a pleasant green space known as Jingshan Hill. If you take the stairs to the main pavilion you will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the Imperial Palace, the Central Axis looking North toward the Bell and Drum Towers, and to the West, Behai Park (part of the Central Axis buffer zone).

A notable feature next to the Outer Jinshui Bridges are the Huabiao ceremonial columns. Featuring mythical animals, including a coiled dragon and a 'denglong' on the top, which symbolizes 'the sending the will of heaven to humans'.

The zero kilometer marker for highways in China is located just outside Zhengyangmen Gate. The gate is more useful for visitors for its view of the axis rather than its own historical value (largely a reconstruction though not completely).

On a return visit to Beijing I would focus on Xiannongtan (Temple of Agriculture), which stands out as one of the most significant components of the Beijing Central Axis.